How to make the most of Google Places
How are people finding your branch? Are you “Google-able”?
Attracting new members to your branch is always a challenge, and many branches will have a website already. Where else do you advertise?
For a new member, a likely start point will be a Google search and this may well point them toward your website, where they will have to look for information such as where you meet, how to contact, and what the training is about. For some people, going through pages and pages is just too long these days.
Google has launched Google Places that provides free listing within a local area, it's intended for businesses to advertise themselves and provide a quick and easy finder for the searcher.
By using Google Places, a branch can be found on both Google Maps, and Google Places. It’s a bit like the old yellow directory of businesses, but better. By integrating maps and local search, the searcher can see where you are, get directions and get more information provided by you.
You can show your club pool times, show pictures of your activities, contact details and other useful information.
A few ideas for your listing:
- Keep it brief – people don’t want to read lots of text, they will judge you within seconds and are likely to move on if its too much work.
- Pictures sell what you are about!
- Pictures should show people learning to dive, preferably in a pool environment, having fun and enjoying it. A range of pictures showing different people works well, and include kids if your branch teaches younger people. Also show fun elements including the social aspects that people get when joining BSAC.
- Make sure you have a link to your website, and make it easy for searchers to find the essential information about you in as few a clicks as possible.
- Have a look at your local area and see who is already listed.
- Best of all its free! So why not get listed today.
You can use the analytics that Google provides to look at your visitor numbers, where they come from and what attracts them to your listing. You can use this to adjust your listing, and attract more people.
There’s more information here:
http://www.youtube.com/googleplaces#p/a/u/0/vUzMu8GXNUM
http://www.youtube.com/googleplaces#p/a/u/2/TpZan96KHOM
The video links above are less than two minutes each to watch and this could really help your club. After watching them…
1. Go to http://www.google.com/places
2. Click on ‘Places for Business’.
It then only takes about five minutes to get your club listed, it’s really easy and you don’t need to be technically minded.
However, if you have any trouble, feel free to call Debbie at BSAC HQ on 0151 350 6254.
